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Frogs and Toads

I have a really unique connection with author Stacy Lynn Carroll. We didn't meet online, in a writer's forum or networking, which is how I've met most of my writer friends. We happened to work for the same amazing family as a nanny, so we spoke on the phone years ago, when she called me (the previous nanny) to make sure this particular family she was thinking of working for wasn't full of psychopathic axe murderers. Fast forward a little while, and we realized we both write. And our oldest daughters have the same unusual name. I love having this connection with her--she's felt like an old friend from day one. So what better way to tell you about my sistah in writing and nannying than to celebrate the release of the second book in the Princess Sisters series? Frogs and Toads is out now! Stacy generously offered an excerpt for Oh, How Novel readers, and I have to say this book just looks fun. Check it out!

Belle and her cousins have conquered their fears. Now
as they navigate their way through the dating world, they start to see a
"happily ever after" on the horizon. But when an unexpected school
assignment forces them to examine their past, the Princess sisters realize they
have a lot of questions about the fathers they've never met. Secrets are
revealed, long lost family members are discovered, and now the girls must
decide who belongs in their future and who should be kept in the past.

“Wait!Shhhhhh!It’s starting!”

Aurora and Ariel stopped talking
mid-conversation and turned their focus to the TV.Belle picked up the remote and turned up the
volume as the theme song began playing a dramatic tune.Without moving her eyes away from the screen,
Cinderella passed a bag of peanut butter M&M’s to Snow White, who sat
beside her on the couch.Their eyes were
completely glued to the screen during the opening scene of their new favorite
show.

School had only started a few
weeks ago, but this new teen drama filled every conversation in the halls
between classes.No one talked about
anything else.The cousins had turned it
on the first night out of curiosity, and were instantly hooked.Now, every Thursday night, a similar scene
could be found in Belle’s basement as the girls gathered to laugh, gasp, and
ogle at the super-hot teacher on the screen.Then as soon as the first commercial started, the girls began talking
again as if there had been no delay.

“Oh, this show is so good!Why do they have to ruin everything with dumb
commercials?”

“To make us anticipate what’s
coming even more.”

“We could always set the DVR to
record Locker Partners, and just
watch it later. That way we could fast forward the commercials,” Snow White
suggested.

Ariel looked at her like she had
gone crazy.“And just stare at the clock
for an hour while we wait for it to record? Are you insane?!”

“I dunno you guys, I think I can
make it through some lousy commercials to get to see Lucas Ferreira for an
hour,” Aurora stated.

Her cousins all nodded with
enthusiastic agreement.Then the show
came back on and the room went silent once again.The scene opened with Mr. Ferreira himself,
leaning over a beautiful blonde student as he helped with her writing
assignment.The girls simultaneously
sighed, not one of them noticing the others, as they all wished for a Freaky Friday moment to transport them
into that girl’s shoes.Everything from
his tan skin to his dark hair and eyes reflected his Latino roots.But his flawless American accent indicated he
was second generation.

His character grinned down at
the student when she found success, revealing his perfect white teeth,
embellished by a dimple on the right side.His dark, long lashes winked right into the camera during a close-up
shot and Snow White actually giggled.She quickly covered her mouth in embarrassment, looking around, but her
cousins were too lost in his charming voice to notice.

When the show went to another
commercial break, the girls were quickly broken free of their trance and
resumed conversation.

“What do you think it would be like having a
teacher like that?”

“Oh, I would definitely pay
better attention in school if all my teachers looked like Lucas Ferreira!”
Aurora said emphatically.

“Only one way to find out,”
Ariel piped in.When the others looked
at her quizzically she continued.“You’re friends with a lot of the student body officers, just get them
to put in a request to hire Lucas Ferreira as the new English teacher, Belle.”

Cinderella
and Aurora both launched pillows in Ariel’s direction, who laughed in return.

“If only I had that power!”
Belle replied, laughing.

Then the show returned with its
final climatic minutes, filled with cliff hangers to keep the viewers wanting
more, and insuring their return next week.

Mary came walking down the
stairs after getting off work and paused at the bottom step.“Hey Belle, I need you to−”

“Shhhhh!” all five girls
shouted.

“Well, this must be some show!”
Mary said more quietly.

“Hold on Mom, you haven’t seen
the best part yet,” Belle said.“There!”
she pointed to the screen as the gorgeous actor appeared.“Isn’t he great?”

Mary stood frozen to the spot.Usually she was the first to agree with the
girls when it came to cute guys, and her sudden silence caused them all to turn
in their seats.

“Mary?” Cinderella asked.“Is something wrong?”

“He…” Mary started, but couldn’t
finish.Her brain wouldn’t form the
right words.She reached out for the
handrail and sat slowly on the bottom step, never taking her eyes off the
screen.

“He plays one of the high school
teachers,” Ariel said, looking at Mary quizzically.“His name is−”

“Luke Ferreira,” Mary finished,
breathlessly.She could feel the room
spinning around her and was glad she had chosen to sit.

Belle looked at her mother
curiously.“Yeah, how did you know?”

“Because,”
Mary answered, pointing at the TV, “that is your father.”

Looks fun, right? Don't forget to snag your copy of book one, The Princess Sisters, while you're at it!

About the author: Stacy Lynn Carroll has always loved telling
stories.She started out at Utah State
University where she pursued a degree in English, learned how to western swing,
and watched as many of her fellow students became ‘True Aggies’.She then finished her BA at the University of
Utah where she got an emphasis in creative writing.After college she worked as an administrative
assistant, where she continued to write stories for the amusement of her
co-workers.When her first daughter was
born, and with the encouragement of a fortune cookie, she quit her job and
became a full-time mommy and writer.She
and her husband have three children, two Corgis, and a fish named Don

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